It has been one year since the police murder of George Floyd, an outrage that resonated around the world. The killing forced people to the streets, in the USA and on every inhabited continent, to dema
The State of Civil Report 2021 detailed how women and youth groups led protests to challenge the official coercive power and policies of the government during the lockdowns.
State of Civil Society Report 2021 [EN/AR/PT]
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Protests prove the power of collective action as states fail pandemic test, says new report
As COVID-19 swept the globe, deepening existing fault-lines in societies and generating fear and uncertainty, many governments used the pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on civic freedoms, sparking protests in many countries. The annual State of Civil Society Report 2021, by global civil society alliance CIVICUS, shows that despite the odds, millions of people around the world mobilised to demand more just, equal and sustainable societies during the pandemic.
Mobilising against the odds
Globally, the mass mobilisation that made headlines and changed the conversation was the resurgence of demands for racial justice under the Black Lives Matter banner in the USA and beyond following the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020. People from all walks of life came to the streets to demand an end to systemic racism and police brutality.
CIVICUS is a global alliance of more than 10,000 civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world.
Elections should offer opportunities for citizens to make demands of their political leaders, debate alternatives and express dissent. People should go to the polls in the belief that their votes will count and their voices will be heard, and if presidents are proved to be corrupt, self-serving and unwilling to listen, they should be able to unseat them. All efforts should go into making the coming elections live up to these standards.
Although a look back at the recent history of Africa’s elections offers limited grounds for optimism, there have been some bright spots.